Accused murderer denies he killed four women

The Sterling Heights man charged Monday with killing four women in December 2011 denies he caused their death, the suspect’s attorney said.

James Cornelius Brown, who initially was accused of mutilating the bodies of the women who had been found dead inside abandoned cars in Detroit, was arraigned Monday in 41A District Court on four counts of first-degree murder.

Through cellphone records obtained via search warrants, investigators determined that the final calls made from the victims’ phones were transmitted through the cellular tower near Brown’s home on Vancouver Drive, near 18 Mile and Mound roads, officials said.

Authorities believe two of the victims, Demesha Hunt, 25, and Renesha Landers, 24, drove to Brown’s home on Dec. 18, 2011. The bodies of the women — who were cousins — were found the next day in the trunk of a car on Promenade Street in Detroit.

Police said Natasha Curtis, 29, and Vernithea McCrary, 28, went to Brown’s home on Dec. 24, 2011. On Christmas Day, Detroit Police were summoned to a burning Buick LeSabre on Lannette Street. The women, burned beyond recognition, were found in the trunk.

“James is adamant that he did not cause those girls to die,” said Brown’s attorney, Jeffery Cojocar.

Sterling Heights police and the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office allege that Brown, 24, contacted the women through the website www.backpage.com.

“The parents and relatives of these women have suffered so greatly,” Macomb Prosecutor Eric Smith said. “We will work to bring closure to these grieving families.”

Last June, Brown was charged with four counts of disinterment and mutilation of a body, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison; one count of arson of real property, also a 10-year felony; and arson of personal property, a 5-year offense. At the time, he was not accused of killing the women, but police suspected he was involved in their deaths.

On Monday, when Brown appeared before District Judge Michael Maceroni for a scheduled hearing to determine whether evidence showed that he should stand trial in Macomb County Circuit Court for those six charges, the prosecutor’s office filed the four counts of premeditated homicide. The judge ordered that Brown be held in the Macomb County Jail without bond. The preliminary examination involving all 10 counts is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2013.

Although police said cellphone records show the women were at Brown’s home, officials have not revealed how and where the victims were killed.

“There is other evidence that has come up through the course of this investigation … that makes us believe that he is responsible,” Sterling Heights Detective Lt. Kevin Reese said. He declined to elaborate.

“This has been an intense investigation up to this point and will continue to be,” Reese said.

Three of the four victims placed advertisements in the escort section of www.backpage.com.

Cojocar said prosecutors indicated back in June that they would pursue murder charges against Brown.

“It certainly wasn’t a surprise,” the defense lawyer said about Monday’s developments.

Evidence in the case includes Brown’s phone and computer records.

Cojocar said he has begun reviewing video of more than seven hours of the police interrogation of his client, and added that he received an additional eight discs of police records last week.

“I’ve got a mountain of stuff still to review,” he said.

Brown was previously charged in 36th District Court in Detroit, but the court granted a request to move the case to Sterling Heights and Macomb County due to alleged events occurring in Sterling Heights.